Enrollment
325
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Happy, KY
Robert W Combs Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Robert W Combs Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 210477001174
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Robert W Combs Elementary School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of Kentucky schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Kentucky schools.
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13:1
- small classes for Kentucky
- 76.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 325
- students enrolled
Robert W Combs Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 75% of Kentucky schools. Computed live against every Kentucky school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 15.2:1 Kentucky avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.7%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Robert W Combs Elementary School compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians
What stands out at Robert W Combs Elementary School
Robert W Combs Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Happy, Kentucky, enrolling 325 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13:1 puts it in the smaller third of Kentucky schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 76.7% of students qualify for free meals, 30% above the Kentucky average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 325 puts it in the smaller third of Kentucky schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,389 scored Kentucky schools.
Against 256 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #168.
Its student body is predominantly White (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 4/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 56.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 24.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Perry County also operates Perry County Central High School (819 students) and West Perry Elementary School (743 students) alongside Robert W Combs Elementary School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Robert W Combs Elementary School compares
Robert W Combs Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Kentucky and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Kentucky | Kentucky avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13:1 | ▼ 14% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.7% | ▲ 30% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 325 | top 66% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
325
Bigger than 36% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
76.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% above the Kentucky average of 59.2%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 25% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
56.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,112
per pupil, district-wide
- above Kentucky avg of $13,211
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 98.2%
African American 0.9%
Two or More 0.6%
Hispanic or Latino 0.3%
Largest group: White at 98.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 3.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 3.6, Robert W Combs Elementary School is less mixed than the Kentucky school average of 34.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Perry County, which includes Robert W Combs Elementary School.
$14,112
Per student
+7%
vs Kentucky
Avg $13,211
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 14.3%
State 61.0%
Federal 24.7%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Robert W Combs Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perry County Central High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Perry Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East Perry County Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Buckhorn School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Viper Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Robert W Combs Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 819
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 743
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 603
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 320
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 282
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Kentucky, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~325 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Robert W Combs Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Robert W Combs Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Perry County's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Robert W Combs Elementary School
How many students attend Robert W Combs Elementary School?
Robert W Combs Elementary School has 325 students enrolled. It is a public school in Happy, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Robert W Combs Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Robert W Combs Elementary School is 13:1, which is 14% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Robert W Combs Elementary School?
76.7% of students at Robert W Combs Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Robert W Combs Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Robert W Combs Elementary School is White at 98.2% of enrollment, in Happy, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Robert W Combs Elementary School?
Robert W Combs Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Robert W Combs Elementary School a good school?
Robert W Combs Elementary School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 75% of Kentucky schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Kentucky schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Perry County?
Besides Robert W Combs Elementary School, Perry County also operates Perry County Central High School (819 students), West Perry Elementary School (743 students), and East Perry County Elementary School (603 students). See the Perry County district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.